The Sins of Israel

1 Then the word° of the LORD° came° to me, saying°,
2 “And you, son° of man°, will you judge°, will you judge° the bloody° city°? Then cause her to know° all° her abominations°.
3 You shall say°, ‘Thus° says° the Lord°IGOD°, “A city°ashedding° blood° in her midst°, so that her time° will come°, and that makes° idols°, contrary° to her [interest], for defilement°!
4 You have become°aguilty° by Ithe blood° which° you have shed°, and defiled° by your idols° which° you have made°. Thus you have brought° your IIday° near° and have come° to your years°; therefore°° I have made° you a breproach° to the nations° and a mocking° to all° the lands°.
5 Those who° are near° and those who° are far° from you will mock° you, you of ill° repute°, full° of aturmoil°.

6 ¶ “Behold°, the arulers° of Israel°, each° according to his Ipower°, have been° in you for the purpose° of shedding° blood°.
7 They have atreated° father° and mother° lightly° within you. The balien° they have oppressed°° in your midst°; the cfatherless° and the widow° they have wronged° in you.
8 You have adespised° My holy° things° and bprofaned° My sabbaths°.
9 Slanderous° men° have been° in you for the purpose° of shedding° blood°, and in you they have eaten° at the mountain° [shrines]. In your midst° they have acommitted° acts° of lewdness°.
10 In you Ithey have auncovered° [their] fathers’° nakedness°; in you they have humbled° her who° was bunclean° in her menstrual° impurity°.
11 One° has committed° abomination° with his aneighbor’s° wife° and another° has lewdly° defiled° his bdaughter-in-law°. And another° in you has chumbled° his sister°, his father’s° daughter°.
12 In you they have ataken° bribes° to shed° blood°; you have taken°binterest° and profits°, and you have injured° your neighbors° for gain° by coppression°, and you have dforgotten° Me,” declares° the Lord° GOD°.

13 ¶ “Behold°, then, I smite° My hand° at your adishonest° gain° which° you have acquired° and at Ithe bloodshed° which° is among° you.
14 Can ayour heart° endure°, or° can your hands° be strong° in the days° that I will deal° with you? bI, the LORD°, have spoken° and will act°.
15 I will ascatter° you among the nations° and I will disperse° you through the lands°, and I will bconsume° your uncleanness° from you.
16 You will profane° yourself in the sight° of the nations°, and you will aknow° that I am the LORD°.”’”

17 ¶ And the word° of the LORD° came° to me, saying°,
18 “Son° of man°, the house° of Israel° has become°adross° to Me; all° of them are bbronze° and tin° and iron° and lead° in the cfurnace°; they are the dross° of silver°.
19 Therefore°, thus° says° the Lord° GOD°, ‘Because° all° of you have become° dross°, therefore°, behold°, I am going to gather° you into the midst° of Jerusalem°.
20 As they gather° silver° and bronze° and iron° and lead° and tin° into the afurnace° to blow° fire° on it in order to melt° [it], so° I will gather° [you] in My anger° and in My wrath° and I will lay° you [there] and melt° you.
21 I will gather° you and blow° on you with the fire° of My wrath°, and you will be melted° in the midst° of it.
22 As silver° is melted° in the furnace°, so° you will be melted° in the midst° of it; and you will know° that I, the LORD°, have apoured° out My wrath° on you.’”

23 ¶ And the word° of the LORD° came° to me, saying°,
24 “Son° of man°, say° to her, ‘You are a land° that is anot cleansed° or rained° on in the day° of indignation°.’
25 There is a aconspiracy° of her prophets° in her midst° like a roaring° lion° tearing° the prey°. They have bdevoured° lives°; they have taken° treasure° and precious° things°; they have made° many°cwidows° in the midst° of her.
26 Her apriests° have done° violence° to My law° and have bprofaned° My holy° things°; they have made° no°cdistinction° between° the holy° and the profane°, and they have not taught° the difference between° the dunclean° and the clean°; and they hide° their eyes° from My sabbaths°, and I am profaned° among° them.
27 Her princes° within° her are like wolves° tearing° the prey°, by shedding° blood° [and] adestroying° lives° in order° to get°bdishonest° gain°.
28 Her prophets° have smeared° whitewash° for them, seeing°afalse° visions° and divining° lies° for them, saying°, ‘Thus° says° the Lord° GOD°,’ when the LORD° has not spoken°.
29 The people° of the land° have practiced°aoppression° and committed° robbery°, and they have wronged° the poor° and needy° and have boppressed° the sojourner° without° justice°.
30 I asearched° for a man° among° them who would bbuild° up the wall° and cstand° in the gap° before° Me for the land°, so° that I would not destroy° it; but I found°Ino° one.
31 Thus I have poured° out My aindignation° on them; I have consumed° them with the fire° of My wrath°; btheir way° I have brought° upon their heads°,” declares° the Lord° GOD°.

A catalogue of sins in Jerusalem.

1 ¶ Moreover the wordº of the LORDº came² unto² me, saying,ºª2 Now, thou² sonº of man,º wilt thou judge,ºª wilt thou judgeºª² the bloodyº city?º yea, thou shalt shewºª her² all² her abominations.º3 Then sayºª thou, Thus² saithºª the Lordº GOD,º The cityº sheddethºª bloodº in the midstº of it, that her timeº may come,ºª and makethºª idolsº against² herself to defileºª herself. 4 Thou art become guiltyºª in thy bloodº that² thou hast shed;ºª and hast defiledºª thyself in thine idolsº which² thou hast made;ºª and thou hast caused thy daysº to draw near,ºª and art comeºª [even] unto² thy years:º therefore²² have I madeºª thee a reproachº unto the heathen,º and a mockingº to all² countries.º5 [Those that be] near,º and [those that be] farº from² thee, shall mockºª thee, [which art] infamousºº [and] muchº vexed.º6 Behold,² the princesº of Israel,º every oneº were² in thee to their powerº to² shedºª blood.º7 In thee have they set lightºª by fatherº and mother:º in the midstº of thee have they dealtºª by oppressionº with the stranger:º in thee have they vexedºª the fatherlessº and the widow.º8 Thou hast despisedºª mine holy things,º and hast profanedºª my sabbaths.º9 In thee are² men¹² that carry talesº to² shedºª blood:º and in thee they eatºª upon² the mountains:º in the midstº of thee they commitºª lewdness.º10 In thee have they discoveredºª their fathers'º nakedness:º in thee have they humbledºª her that was set apartº for pollution.º11 And oneº hath committedºª abominationº with² his neighbour'sº wife;º and anotherº hath lewdlyº defiledºª² his daughter in law;º and anotherº in thee hath humbledºª² his sister,º his father'sº daughter.º12 In thee have they takenºª giftsº to² shedºª blood;º thou hast takenºª usuryº and increase,º and thou hast greedily gainedºª of thy neighboursº by extortion,º and hast forgottenºª me, saithºª the Lordº GOD.º

God will burn them as dross in his furnace.

13 ¶ Behold,² therefore I have smittenºª mine handº at² thy dishonest gainº which² thou hast made,ºª and at² thy bloodº which² hath been² in the midstº of thee. 14 Can thine heartº endure,ºª or² can thine handsº be strong,ºª in the daysº that² I² shall dealºª with thee? I² the LORDº have spokenºª [it], and will doºª [it]. 15 And I will scatterºª thee among the heathen,º and disperseºª thee in the countries,º and will consumeºª thy filthinessº out of² thee. 16 And thou shalt take thine inheritanceºªª¹ª in thyself in the sightº of the heathen,º and thou shalt knowºª that² I² [am] the LORD.º17 And the wordº of the LORDº came² unto² me, saying,ºª18 Sonº of man,º the houseº of Israelº is to me become² dross:º all² they [are] brass,º and tin,º and iron,º and lead,º in the midstº of the furnace;º they are² [even] the drossº of silver.º19 Therefore² thus² saithºª the Lordº GOD;º Because² ye are all² become² dross,º behold,² therefore² I will gatherºª you into² the midstº of Jerusalem.º20 [As] they gatherº silver,º and brass,º and iron,º and lead,º and tin,º into² the midstº of the furnace,º to blowºª the fireº upon² it, to meltºª [it]; so² will I gatherºª [you] in mine angerº and in my fury,º and I will leave¹ª² [you there], and meltºª you. 21 Yea, I will gatherºª you, and blowºª upon² you in the fireº of my wrath,º and ye shall be meltedºª in the midstº thereof. 22 As silverº is meltedº in the midstº of the furnace,º so² shall ye be meltedºª in the midstº thereof; and ye shall knowºª that² I² the LORDº have poured outºª my furyº upon² you.

The general corruption of prophets, priests, princes, and people.

23 ¶ And the wordº of the LORDº came² unto² me, saying,ºª24 Sonº of man,º sayºª unto her, Thou² [art] the landº that² is not² cleansed,ºª nor² rained¹ upon² in the dayº of indignation.º25 [There is] a conspiracyº of her prophetsº in the midstº thereof, like a roaringºª lionº raveningºª the prey;º they have devouredºª souls;º they have takenºª the treasureº and precious things;º they have made her manyºª widowsº in the midstº thereof. 26 Her priestsº have violatedºª my law,º and have profanedºª mine holy things:º they have put no differenceºª² between² the holyº and profane,º neither² have they shewedºª [difference] between² the uncleanº and the clean,º and have hidºª their eyesº from my sabbaths,º² and I am profanedºª amongº them. 27 Her princesº in the midstº thereof [are] like wolvesº raveningºª the prey,º to shedºª blood,º [and] to destroyºª souls,º to² getºª dishonest gain.º28 And her prophetsº have daubedºª them with untemperedº [morter], seeingº vanity,º and diviningºª liesº unto them, saying,ºª Thus² saithºª the Lordº GOD,º when the LORDº hath not² spoken.ºª29 The peopleº of the landº have used² oppression,º¹ª and exercisedºª robbery,º and have vexedºª the poorº and needy:º yea, they have oppressedºª the strangerº wrongfully.º²30 And I soughtºª for a manº among² them, that should make upºª the hedge,º and standºª in the gapº beforeº me for² the land,º that I should not² destroyºª it: but I foundºª none.²31 Therefore have I poured outºª mine indignationº upon² them; I have consumedºª them with the fireº of my wrath:º their own wayº have I recompensedºª upon their heads,º saithºª the Lordº GOD.º